Keeping warm in winter

[WI chickens]

No, they are not dying but it is apparent that they are not comfortable.

I'm enjoying the conversation and your point of view, but I would like to point out your statement here. You appear to dislike assumptions being stated as facts, but that seems to be what you are doing here. I'm not certain I agree with you that this proves they are uncomfortable. It's possible. It's also possible that puffing up and pulling their heads in is simply an instinctive measure that allows them stay comfortable in colder weather.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is a picture of chickens feeling cold. Their feathers are fluffed up. Their head are pulled. They keep still more to conseve energy. They are where they are because the coop tarpaulin und the undergrowth in that area protect them from the wind. No, they are not dying but it is apparent that they are not comfortable.
View attachment 3316806

This is a picture of the same chickens on a warm day.
View attachment 3316804


Unless someone can come up with a very extraordinary explanation for the differences in demeanor and location I think it's fair to say they are feeling the cold. No, they are not dying.
To put perspective on the above it was 9C with a steady 12mph Westerly wind.

Yes, they're keeping themselves dry and out of the wind. If they were provided with a larger dry and wind-sheltered area they'd be making use of more space even in a colder temperature. I recently posted (I think on this thread), about my birds refusing to shelter from the rain on a similar day but, instead, foraging in their run, which I had provided with plenty of windbreaks.

Here are photos of my warm-climate chickens engaging with one of my rare winter snowfalls:

They thoroughly explored that weird, white, wet stuff on the ground, decided that it wasn't good for eating or dustbathing, and went back into the coop where they had another feeder and waterer and dry deep litter to scratch in and dustbathe in.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes, they're keeping themselves dry and out of the wind. If they were provided with a larger dry and wind-sheltered area they'd be making use of more space even in a colder temperature. I recently posted (I think on this thread), about my birds refusing to shelter from the rain on a similar day but, instead, foraging in their run, which I had provided with plenty of windbreaks.

Here are photos of my warm-climate chickens engaging with one of my rare winter snowfalls:

View attachment 3316826View attachment 3316827View attachment 3316828View attachment 3316829View attachment 3316830View attachment 3316831

They thoroughly explored that weird, white, wet stuff on the ground, decided that it wasn't good for eating or dustbathing, and went back into the coop where they had another feeder and waterer and dry deep litter to scratch in and dustbathe in.

Touche.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm enjoying the conversation and your point of view, but I would like to point out your statement here. You appear to dislike assumptions being stated as facts, but that seems to be what you are doing here. I'm not certain I agree with you that this proves they are uncomfortable. It's possible. It's also possible that puffing up and pulling their heads in is simply an instinctive measure that allows them stay comfortable in colder weather.

I've spent quite a lot of my time on BYC trying to dispel some of the myths surrounding chickens. I usually come under a great deal of fire initially.
It's not that I've made astounding discoveries. Most of what I've written in my articles and the threads I've participated in is common knowledge in other regions of the world.
The only fact I would like to establish is that chickens feel the cold. From there it's a question of at what temperature is it just minor dscomfort and at what temperature it's painful and stressfull.
Then perhaps we could consider if the claims for reputed cold hardy breeds is based on some evidence, apart from survival, that could be identified/measured.

 

[WI chickens]

I've spent quite a lot of my time on BYC trying to dispel some of the myths surrounding chickens. I usually come under a great deal of fire initially.
It's not that I've made astounding discoveries. Most of what I've written in my articles and the threads I've participated in is common knowledge in other regions of the world.
The only fact I would like to establish is that chickens feel the cold. From there it's a question of at what temperature is it just minor dscomfort and at what temperature it's painful and stressfull.
Then perhaps we could consider if the claims for reputed cold hardy breeds is based on some evidence, apart from survival, that could be identified/measured.

I guess I've never actually heard anyone say that chickens don't feel cold. As far as I'm concerned, it is established that they do. If they didn't feel cold, they would have no need to "puff up" or "hunker down". Your other points, I guess I would have to consider more. Certainly, survival is step 1 to establishing cold hardiness, but as people that care about their animals, as I think people here do, survival is obviously not enough. We want healthy, happy birds. I think we can all agree that is a given. I'm certain that discomfort-to-pain is a scale rather than a binary equation, and I'm certain that some breeds can handle colder weather without discomfort than others. How to measure it is something altogether different. If a person could observe their chickens all day and they had many breeds, I think you would see certain breeds (and individuals) puff up sooner, and that would at least be indicative of the fact that they were feeling the cold more than birds that didn't puff up yet. Not proof, but something.

 

[Shadrach]

If a person could observe their chickens all day and they had many breeds, I think you would see certain breeds (and individuals) puff up sooner, and that would at least be indicative of the fact that they were feeling the cold more than birds that didn't puff up yet. Not proof, but something.

That's basically what I did for ten years.

 

[WI chickens]

That's basically what I did for ten years.

And your observation was that all breeds puffed up at the same time? If not, wouldn't that lend credence to the idea that the ones that didn't puff up as soon are more cold-hardy than those that puffed up sooner? Assuming you are defining cold-hardy as the ability to stay comfortable in colder temperatures than other breeds. If not, what is your definition of cold-hardy?

 

[Shadrach]

If not, what is your definition of cold-hardy?

This is the point isn't it. I don't have a definition.

 

[WI chickens]

This is the point isn't it. I don't have a definition.

I guess I'll use mine then. The ability to stay comfortable in colder temperatures than other breeds.

So was your observation that some breeds puff up sooner than others?

 

[Shadrach]

I guess I've never actually heard anyone say that chickens don't feel cold.

You can read many threads on the topic and often the response goes something like this. They're fine at such and such a temperature. Chicken don't feel the cold, they've got all those lovely feathers to keep them warm.

The assumption being it seems chickens developed feathers to combat the cold. As I mentioned in an earlier post, what is a tropical creature doing running around with a quilt.
If you view a cross section of a chickens feathers and the position of the filo plumes that govern the feathers orientation and you know a bit about thermodynamics you can see that feathers can provide excellent skin shade and that helps keep them cool.